The ruling Mizo National Front has accused the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee of trying to mislead the people by wrongly interpreting the court judgement which had acquitted Congress MLA R Lalzirliana of the MNF government's defamation case against him.

"The judgement never said that the MNF government had paid ransom money to insurgents, it only said that MLA Lalzirliana's statement was an exception for defamation," an MNF statement clarified.

The MNF government filed a complaint against Saitual MLA Lalzirliana at the court of ADM (J) Aizawl district following the MLA's allegation at a press conference on May 8, 2003 that the MNF government had paid Rs 50 lakhs to Hmar insurgents for the release of six kidnapped NEEPCO officials.

"The public prosecutor moved the court for punishment to the MLA under Sec 501 IPC and to find the truth. However, the court did not find the MLA's allegation sufficient to impose a punishment on an MLA," the statement said, adding: "MPCC has wrongly interpreted the court's judgement and order (oral) to mislead the people."

However, going by the judgement, the court was convinced that "the allegation made by the accused that the kidnapped persons were released after giving ransom money to the kidnappers is truth."

"However," the judgement said, "there is no evidence to prove that the persons who gave the ransom money were government servants or not and neither there was evidence to prove that they were messengers sent by the government."

The court was also with the opinion that the Sakawrdai SDPO was also aware of the fact that the ransom money was given and the kidnapped persons were released accordingly.

The judgement further said that the imputation made by the accused did not amount to defamation but "in good faith for the interest of the general public and not for his personal interest." It added that the government, being a sovereign, could not be defamed, and it is not "proper and unjust for the government to file defamation case in every criticism" since criticising the government, especially by the opposition party, is "regular happenings" in a democratic country like India.

Lalzirliana had alleged that the Rs 50 lakhs was paid on two occasions, the first one (Rs 35 lakh) at the residence of one Tana Darngawn at Madanriting in Shillong. As the MNF government failed to pay the remaining amount of Rs 15 in time as per agreement as a result of which the HPC kidnapped one more man which finally compelled the government to pay the demanded money in full.

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